Feuer & Flamme

The Central Fire and Rescue Station 2 is the heart of the Gelsenkirchen fire department. For five months, the firefighters were accompanied in their everyday work as they responded to fires, technical assistance and medical emergencies. Firefighters in Gelsenkirchen respond to fires, technical assistance and medical emergencies on around 39,000 missions a year, more than 100 times a day. In order to ensure the greatest possible authenticity, Fire & Flame does not provide comment text. A total of ten of the approximately 100 firefighters from Station 2 have their say during and after their operations. This creates a genuine image of these “everyday heroes” that shows courage and determination as well as thoughtfulness and compassion.

The story of the Gelsenkirchen fire department continues in a total of nine episodes. WDR filmed the second season of FIRE & FLAME at two stations - the already well-known Buer fire and rescue station and the new Heßler station, which the fire department had only put into operation a few months previously. 70 days in a row, 24 hours a day – the FIRE & FLAME production team was once again filming at the fire department in Gelsenkirchen.

In the third season of the documentary series, the firefighters from the Bochum city center station and the main fire and rescue station in Bochum Werne are accompanied for the first time. The complex filming around the clock is made possible using so-called body cameras. The audience experiences first-hand how the protagonists put out fires, save people and live their everyday lives at the guard stations.

Season 4 presents the story of the firefighters of the Bochum professional fire department and the active members of the Bochum volunteer fire department in a total of six episodes. This year, long-time fans and new viewers can look forward to numerous exciting and authentic events, accompanied by impressive and high-quality recordings. The exceptional situation during the corona pandemic is also challenging for everyone: Thanks to a hygiene concept approved by the health department, filming was able to take place from the beginning of October 2020 to the end of November 2020.

In the fifth season, the firefighters and trainees continue to show viewers, in their inimitable way, an emotional and genuine picture of their work, which does not only consist of large-scale operations, but is always carried out with heart and soul. They comment on what is happening full of wisdom, passion and compassion. In the six new episodes, viewers see how the emergency services put out a difficult building fire, among other things. They are there when a fireplace burns that cannot be extinguished with water, and they experience first-hand how those affected have to be rescued from the car and given medical care after a traffic accident. For 50 days in a row, 24 hours a day from mid-April to early June 2021, camera teams accompanied the firefighters in the Ruhr area in their challenging everyday work.

The sixth season of "Feuer & Flamme", which can be seen from January 2023, will for the first time provide insights into the work processes in the control centre of the Bochum fire brigade. Here and during on-site operations, the firefighters will be confronted with particularly dramatic situations in six new episodes: a street race with a terrible outcome, two missing children in the Bochum catacombs, a burning roof truss caused by lightning and a fire on a workshop site that is difficult to get under control. The emergency services try to help in their usual professional, humane and cooperative manner. For 50 days in a row, 24 hours a day from the beginning of May to the end of June 2022, camera teams accompanied the firefighters in the Ruhr region in their challenging daily work. By using up to 60 special cameras at the same time - so-called body cams - the viewers experience the exciting fire brigade operations emotionally and directly.

With the seventh season, the popular Bochum fire brigade team says goodbye to the cult series after five seasons, in which the firefighters are accompanied by camera teams in their everyday lives 24 hours a day. Rare insights into everyday working life create an authentic picture of the professional fire department. The Bochum fire department is once again confronted with dramatic situations in the seventh season of the WDR documentary series. In the event of a house fire, rescue is a matter of life and death. In addition to blazing fires, there are also unusual missions to be seen, such as the rescue of a driver who had slipped on a slippery road and was now threatening to slide down the slope. Among other things, the rescue workers are called to an unusual medical emergency; a refugee from Ukraine is in mortal danger. In addition to the operations, training for emergencies is also shown.

With the eighth season, Feuer und Flamme changes the area, because the new episodes were created in collaboration with the Duisburg professional fire department. The WDR chose the new location because the fire department's work there should offer more variety, for example with the harbor guard in the world's largest inland port. Filming in Duisburg began in June 2023 and took a total of 70 days. The focus of season 8 of Feuer und Flamme is, in addition to the rescue team from the harbor guard, the employees of fire station 3 in the north of the city and the emergency services in the Christoph 9 rescue helicopter.

In Season 9, the production team returns to Duisburg, North Rhine‑Westphalia, to document the emergency services at Fire and Rescue Station 3 in Hamborn. Over a period of 70 days during summer 2024, the crew filmed around the clock, following firefighters on all types of operations. The season highlights a broad spectrum of emergency forces, including firefighting units, rescue service crews, and for the first time the Christoph 9 air rescue helicopter. Cameras accompany the teams during dramatic fires in apartments, stairwells, garages, and industrial sites, as well as serious traffic accidents and medical emergencies that require both ground and air rescue.

The gripping tenth season of "Feuer & Flamme" follows the Heidelberg professional fire brigade in action. From dramatic fires and technical rescues to diving missions in the Neckar River and emergency operations in the Odenwald forest – the documentary captures it all with raw emotion and intensity. Thanks to bodycams, viewers get an up-close look at the firefighters' daily routines – not just during high-stakes missions, but also behind the scenes, including their favorite meals and off-duty moments.

The production team returns to Duisburg, Germany, where it had already filmed the local emergency services in seasons 8 and 9, to continue documenting the daily work of the Duisburg Fire Department. Season 11 features a broad range of emergency forces, including firefighting units, rescue services, and air rescue. The Christoph 9 rescue helicopter and its crew are again prominently featured during dramatic missions such as serious traffic accidents, as well as various fire incidents ranging from chimney and kitchen fires to fully involved apartment fires with lives at risk. Filming also captures quieter periods, showing the crews during the winter months at the station, including Christmas activities and an unusually calm New Year’s Eve.

The new season follows the Dortmund Fire Department in Dortmund, Germany, the largest city in the Ruhr area and home to the second-largest professional fire brigade in North Rhine-Westphalia. Filming takes place at two fire stations and covers approximately 90 days of production, starting on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 and running until February 2026, with round-the-clock filming. The 12th season documents a wide range of emergency forces, including firefighting units, ambulance and rescue services, high-angle rescue specialists, and the air rescue unit, featuring the Christoph Dortmund rescue helicopter, whose crew is closely accompanied during missions.